Jim brings to Graham Lundberg Peschel a background of aggressive, New York City trial lawyering. A native of Ballard, Jim originally began his practice with his father in Kent, where he learned plaintiff’s personal injury law, as well as how to run a law office. Jim’s practice eventually brought him to the East Coast, where he tried 75+ personal injury cases, bringing his clients millions of dollars and redemption from those who had injured them.
In 2007, Jim returned to Seattle and joined Graham Lundberg Peschel. Jim is currently an active member of the Washington State Association for Justice and the American Association for Justice, and serves on the WSAJ Trial News Editorial Board. He is a member of Trial Lawyers Care (a group that contributed pro bono time to World Trade Center victims after September 11th), and is a frequent Moot Court Judge. He was a member of the Ethics Committee of the NY County Lawyers Association until 2007, and has served on the Washington State Bar Association Court Rules Committee. Jim is one of only a handful of attorneys in the Northwest who is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification, a distinction which requires verifiable trial results, and a review process including testimonials by Judges and attorneys who have opposed him at trial.
Jim lives in Seattle and spends his free time with his wife and three children.
Successful Cases:
$3.5 million settlement for 97 year old nursing home resident whose genitalia fell off due to untreated penile cancer. This is the largest reported nursing home settlement ever in the State of Washington.
$1.25 million settlement for woman who was hit on her bike by an SUV, fracturing her ankle. This is the largest reported ankle fracture settlement ever in the State of Washington.
$1 million policy limits settlement for a truck driver/passenger whose arm got crushed when the driver took a turn too fast, rolling the truck over onto the passenger side.
$870,000 verdict to a man who slipped on grease in the stairwell of his workplace, due to inadequate lighting, requiring surgery to his knee.
$800,000 settlement for a waterskier who broke bones in his foot and arm when the boat pulled him too close to a dock.
$725,000 settlement for a woman who was hit by a car, requiring surgery to her knee, and a future surgery to her back.
$613,000 verdict to a worker who fell through unsafe stairs at his workplace, requiring surgery to his knee.
$325,000 verdict for a passenger in a taxi accident who suffered disc herniations and a facial scar.
$300,000 verdict for a woman who slipped on wax in a school, requiring surgery to her shoulder.
$300,000 verdict for a woman who tripped on a defect in the sidewalk, requiring surgery to her knee.
$200,000 verdict for a woman who was hit in a crosswalk by a taxi, suffering disc herniations.
Publications:
Age Doesn't Matter: the Vulnerable Adult Statute in Practice, WSAJ Trial News, February 2011. Co-authored with Scott F. Lundberg
Turning the Tables: Forcing the Defendant to Submit to a Physical Exam and Reveal Other Relevant Medical Records, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, "Bill of Particulars" cover story, Winter 2005
Capitation as a Free-Standing Cause of Action in Medical Malpractice, ATLA Professional Negligence Reporter, Summer 2004, Vol. 11, No. 4. Co-authored with Mark R. Bower
Speaking Engagements:
"Fear during Voir Dire-Pitfalls and Pointers", University of Washington Law School, 2008
Honors:
Top 100 Trial Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers Association
Highest rating by Avvo.com - 10.0
Board Certified Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification
Member of Million Dollar Advocates Forum
